Chest pain: When is it heart related?

When your child complains of chest pain, it’s easy to quickly become concerned. How do you know if the issue is heart-related? We talked to Dr. Alex Arevalo, a Le Bonheur cardiologist. Here’s what he had to say:

I think just about everyone gets a little chest pain, and it is a frequent reason why we see patients. My job is to make sure it is not “cardiac chest pain.”

The likelihood of chest pain being a cardiac issue is rare – about 1 percent. The most common causes are idiopathic (we don't know why), musculoskeletal (muscles, nerves, bones), pulmonary (lung issues, like asthma) and GI or stomach problems, like reflux.

The most concerning symptom of chest pain is when it occurs consistently with exercise. If a child faints or passes out during exercise, he or she should be seen by a cardiologist immediately.

Chest pain might be heart related if:

The pain is usually associated with exercise and is made better by stopping exercise